As the VP for marketing, this marketing strategy would not get my approval.
As the VP for marketing, this marketing strategy would not get my approval. I can see the need to be in the market, but I could not support entering it in that way. The field of business ethics examines moral controversies relating to the social responsibilities of capitalist business practices, the moral status of corporate entities, deceptive advertising, insider trading, basic employee rights, job discrimination, affirmative action, drug testing, and whistle blowing (Fieser, 2020). Instead of trying to overtly turn mothers away from breast feeding their babies. The Corporation could approach it as being on the mother’s side. Understanding that times can be hard, allow the Marigold Dairy Corporation to help in supplying nutrition to the babies and even give them away in aid packages to the most affected regions. This would undoubtedly create a demand on its own.
A Rights Theorist would be against this type of marketing campaign and consider it misleading or lying to the mothers. The Rights theory encompasses a variety of ethical philosophies holding that certain human rights are fundamental and must be respected by other humans (Langvardt, Barnes, Prenkert, McCrory, & Perry, 2019). The Marigold Dairy Corporation is fostering a narrative that is bordering on suggestive speech that the woman’s right to breastfeed is futile and they should use formula. Corporations, much like people are obligated to tell the truth. Tell sell a deception as a truth is overtly taking away those women’s rights.
A Utilitarian would weigh the actions of the Marigold Dairy Corporation and measure them against the good of the women, other factors and society as a whole. A utilitarian will act only if the benefits of the action to society outweigh the societal costs of the action. (Langvardt, Barnes, Prenkert, McCrory, & Perry, 2019). Although is some situations a utilitarian will choose something that not popular if it would benefit society a whole. Sometimes, expressed as “the ends justify the means” (Langvardt, Barnes, Prenkert, McCrory, & Perry, 2019). I cannot see how this marketing campaign would overly benefit society, the women being targeted and the effects on the mother and baby’s health.
A profit maximizer would have no issues with this marking strategy. The ethical side of their argument is purely on the side of the shareholders and the corporation. Making profits for the shareholders inside of the law. A shareholder approach to profit maximization optimizes total social utility by narrowing the actor’s focus, requiring the decision maker to make a wealth-maximizing decision that is focused on enhancing profits for those investors or shareholders who can claim a direct financial interest in the organization’s bottom line (Langvardt, Barnes, Prenkert, McCrory, & Perry, 2019). The only obligations is to the shareholders and because of that, all ethical conflicts should be tabled, remain within the confines of the law and turn a profit.
References:
Langvardt, A. W., Barnes, A. J., Prenkert, J. D., McCrory, M. A., & Perry, J. E. (2019). Business law: The ethical, global, and e-commerce environment (17th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com (Links to an external site.)
Santa Clara University. (2018). Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ (Links to an external site.)
Fieser, J., (2020). Ethics. University of Tennessee at Martin. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP) (ISSN 2161-0002) U. S. A. https://iep.utm.edu/ethics/ (Links to an external site.)
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